Dispensing apparatus.



Patented Mar. 23, 1915.

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J. J. ALLEY. DISPENSING APPARATUS.

APPLIUATION FILED DEO.1,1911

Patented Mar. 23, 1915.

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THE NORRIYS PETERS 50-. PHOTO-LITHOW'WASHINGTON. D I.

JOHN J. ALLEY, or BRISTOL, VIRGINIA.

DISPENSING APPARATUS.

Application filed December 1, 1911.

chine for dispensing lard, ice cream, oleomargarin, butter, soap, or heavy greases, and the like.

The invention has for its primary object a simple and efficient apparatus of this character arranged to compute the cost of small quantities of these or analogous substances, and so constructed and arranged that predetermined quantities may be quickly and conveniently dispensed without unnecessary handling, and without exposing the contents of the can or receptacle in which the lard, for instance, is stored, the substance being thereby maintained and dispensed under strictly hygienic conditions. And the invention also aims to generally improve this class of devices and to render them more useful and commercially desirable.

WVith these and other objects in view, as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain constructions, arrangements and combinations ofthe parts that I shall hereinafter fully describe and claim.

, For a full understanding of the invention,

reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved dispensing apparatus, a part being broken away; Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section, with parts in elevation; Fig. 3 is a top planview of the device; Fig. 4; is a fragmentary perspective view; Fig. 5 is a detail section of the discharge mouth of the apparatus; Fig. 6 illustrates in detail some of the parts of the controlling gate for said mouth, and Figs. 7 and 8 are details of the computing portion of the apparatus.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawing by the same reference characters.

The present embodiment of my invention includes a stand 1 of any desired construction and design, the same in the present in- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2 3, 1915.

Serial No. 663,282. I y

stance embodying spaced standards 2 formed with supporting feet 3 and connected near thelr'upper ends by abrace 4 that includes upper and lower cross bars, designated 5 and 6, respectively. o

A threaded vertically disposed spindle 7 works through openings formed in the cross bars 5 and 6, said spindle being formed with a longitudinal groove 8 designed torecelve a feather or spline 9 secured to the upper surface of the brace 4. An actuating disk 10 is journaled to rotate between the upper and lowercross bars 5 and 6, said disk being provided with acentral hub or boss 11, on which a sleeve 12 is loosely mounted for rotation. This sleeveis, in the present instance, an integral part of an actuating handle 13, which extends radially over and projects beyond the disk 10, said handle being formed with a tooth or lug 1 1 designed to engage the beveled teeth 15 that are formed on the upper face ofthe disk 10 around the rim thereof. Also engaging the teeth 15 is a pivoted pawl 16 designed to prevent the accidental turning of the: disk 10 in the wrong direction.

A plunger or head17 is preferably detachably secured tothe lower end of the spindle 7, said head being adapted to fit within a container 18 for the lard or similar substance, said container being supported detachably upon a base frame 19 secured to the standards 2 near the lower ends of the latter. Preferably, the edge of the head'17 is encircled by a gasket 20 designed to produce a proper joint between the edge of the head and the 1 interior wall of the container 18, whereby as the disk 10 is turned in one direction, the head will be moved downwardly in the eontainer and will force, the lard or other substance out through the discharge opening 21 formed in the bottom of the container.

under the head when first entered.

The head 17 is formed with an air cook 22 for. disposing of the air caught in the container The opening 21 in the bottom of the container 18 registers with the upper end of'a discharge mouth 23 which is encircled by a gasket 24 and which depends from a web The discharge mouth 23' is controlled by a gate or cut-off 28 which includes a bar 29, having one face concave to conform to the curvature of the lip 27, and a carrier 30 for said bar. In the present instance, the carrier is made in two mating sections 31, secured together by screws or similar fastening devices, as clearly illustrated in the drawings, said sections embodying angular arms 82 that are mounted upon trunnions 33 projecting laterally from the exterior Wall of the mouth 23, as shown. The sections 31 of the carrier 30 also include and together form a tubular boss 34; and a curved handle 35. An expansion spring 36 is mounted in the chamber formed by the tubular boss 34:, one end of said spring encircling a nipple 37 formed on the bar 29 and serving to press said bar into firm frictional engagement with the discharge end of the mouth 28. The bar 29 is formed at its ends with-spaced lugs 38 designed to embrace ribs 39 formed in the angular arms 32, the bar being thereby properly positioned.

From as much of the description as has preceded, in connection with the correlated views of the accompanying drawings, it will be understood that an engagement of the handle 13 with the ratchet disk 10 and con sequent turning of said disk in a clockwise direction will cause the head 17 to descend in the container 18 a distance proportionate to the distance the handle and disk are moved. It will also be understood that this downward movement of the head will, upon the opening of the gate 28, force a predetermined amount of the substance in the container 18out through the bottom opening 21 and mouth 23 into a receptacle arranged to receive it.

To determine what amount is to be discharged, a curved scale bar 10 is secured to the standards 2 just below the handle 13, saidscale bar being graduated in pounds and fractions thereof, it being, of course, understood that the device is designed for use in the retail trade. Adjustably mounted on the scale bar d0 are any desired number of computing clips 41 held in adjusted position by set screws 42. In the present instance, it is assumed that the commodity, say lard, is sold at the ruling price of, say, ten cents a pound. Hence, it will be seen that the clips are arranged at the halfpound, pound, one and one-half pounds and two pounds graduations of the scale bar 10, and are designated five cents, ten cents, fifteen cents, and twenty cents, and so on, respect-ively. The clips can be moved either way on the scale bar or beam 10, when the market price goes up or down, so as to give the desired amounts, it being understood that the clips are intended to indicate'the starting point of the actuating handle 13. The finish point of the operative movement of said handle is Where the handle comes in contact and is stopped by the adjoining standard or adjacent end of the brace secured thereto.

In order to prevent the container 18 from moving upwardly with the head 17 when it is desired to withdraw the head from the container, the latter is formed at diametrically opposite points with brackets 13 designed for engagement by angular lugs or latches 1% projecting inwardly from the opposite sides of the standards 2. These brackets d3 may also serve as handles for use in carrying the container from place to place.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a simple, durable and eflicient construction of apparatus for dispensing lard or analogous commodities, which will be found of great convenience to a retail shop keeper, which will result in economies, as none of the substance will be wasted, and no overweight permitted, and which will keep the substance to be sold in hygienic condition, which is, of course, a desideratum, and which is impossible when the ordinary dispensing vats and paddles, such as are now commonly employed, are used.

It will be noted that the discharge mouth and its controlling gate are separate and distinct from the container which is removably held in the stand, whereby the containers may be easily removed and refilled, either by the Storekeeper, or returned to the distributer or jobber to be substituted for an original package.

While the accompanying drawings illustrate what I believe to be the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be un derstood that the invention is not limited thereto, but that various changes may be made in the construction, arrangement and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what is claimed is 1. A dispensing apparatus of the character described including a stand, a head mounted in the stand, a spindle journaled in the stand and supporting said head, a ratchet disk rotatable in the stand, and through which the spindle has threaded connection, an actuating handle engageable with the disk to turn the latter, a container support mounted in the stand below the head and formed with a discharge mouth, a gate controlling passage through said mouth, and means for engaging a container and forcing it into engagement with said support.

2. A dispensing apparatus including a stand adapted to support a container, a head mounted in the stand and adapted to move in the container, means for effecting an axial movement of the head in one direction into the container, said means including an oscillatable handle acting upon a movement in one direction to force the head toward the discharge end of the container, a member acting as a stop to limit the movement of the handle in a direction to move the head toward the discharge end of the container, a scale over which the handle moves, and a plurality of index members adjustably supported with reference to the scale for movement toward and from the stop member, the scale having thereon graduations indicating one series of units and fractions thereof, and index members having thereon each a character belonging to a different series of units or fractions thereof.

3. A dispensing apparatus including a stand adapted to support a container, a head mounted in the stand and adapted to move in the container, means for effecting an axial movement of the head in one direction into the container, said means including an oscillatable handle acting upon a movement in one direction to force the head toward the discharge end of the container, a member acting as a stop to limit the movement of the handle in a direction to move the head toward the discharge end of the container, a scale over which the handle moves, and a plurality of index members adjustably supported with reference to the scale for movement toward and from the stop member, the scale having thereon graduations indicating units of measure and fractions thereof and index members having on each a character noting a unit of price.

4:. An apparatus of the character described, including a stand adapted to support a container and provided with a discharge mouth, and a gate comprising ansections detachably connected together and provided with a hollow boss, a spring mounted in said boss, and a bar carried by said arms and engaged by said spring. I

6. An apparatus of the character described, including a stand adapted to support a container and provided with a discharge mouth, and a gate adapted to control the discharge end of said mouth and comprising angular arms pivotally connected to the mouth, a spring pressed bar carried by said arms, said bar being formed with spaced lugs, and the arms being formed with ribs on which said lugs ride.

7. An apparatus of the character described, including a stand formed with inwardly projecting lugs, a container supported in said stand and formed with brackets extending underneath said lugs, for the purpose specified, a head mounted in the stand and movable in said container, and

means for moving said head.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN J. ALLEY. [Ls] Witnesses:

D. M. WALKER, H. G. LAVINDER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, .D. 0. 

